Alabama joins lawsuit against New York’s gun ban

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange last week filed an amicus brief, or friend of the court brief, that was joined by a bipartisan group of 21 attorneys general against a New York law banning certain kinds of semiautomatic firearms.

The brief was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit as a part of a lawsuit filed by organizations and individual gun-owners who challenged New York’s gun ban.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strangephoto courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

“This brief is about protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms in the defense of themselves and their families,” Strange said. “I and other attorneys general believe these fundamental rights deserve the highest protection and that New York’s gun ban is unconstitutional under principles the Supreme Court has already established.”

Alabama was the lead author of the bipartisan brief, joined by attorneys general representing Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The brief explains that semiautomatic firearms are commonly owned by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes. It urges the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to subject New York’s categorical ban of certain semiautomatic weapons to heightened scrutiny. The brief argues that, because New York failed to show that banning semiautomatic weapons would increase public safety or decrease gun violence, the ban is unconstitutional.